Screen wire machine



1966 E. v. CROCKER SCREEN WIRE MACHINE z Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 27, 1965 mm y m@ w 16 E w A WW ww NMQM my wm, wm

Jan. 11, 1966 E. v. CROCKER 3,228,432

SCREEN WIRE MACHINE Filed July 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o a n c o a Q QQQQ H 2 N INVENTOR.

- e a a u o Eon/w VER/v CROCKEI? A TTOEA/EY United States Patent Ofi Fice 3,223,432 Patented Jan. 11, 1966 3 Claims. (Cl. 140-109) This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically assembling screen fabric in operative relationship with a door frame adapted to receive the same and, more particularly, to an apparatus adapted for use in applying screen fabric to frames wherein a perimetrical groove is incorporated in the stiles and rails of the frame.

The manual application of various types of screen fabric, including aluminum wire fabric or fabric woven from glass filaments, is a tedious and time consuming process since the screen fabric must be drawn tightly upon the frame in which it is being installed during the application of the retention splines in operative relationship with the edges of said screen fabric and the grooves adapted to receive the same.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide an apparatus for automatically installing screen fabric in operative relationship with a frame incorporating a perimetrical groove for the reception of the opposite edges of the screen fabric and the corresponding retention spline which includes an elongated bed adapted to receive the frame and supply means adapted to automatically supply screen fabric and retention splines to the frame, said apparatus including applicator means adapted to automatically crimp the edges of the screen fabric and to set the spline into operative relationship with the said previously crimped edges.

Another object of my invention is the provision, in an apparatus of the aforementioned character, of automatic control means associated with said applicator means whereby the apparatus will be automatically shut down if the applicator means is disengaged from operative relationship with the associated edges of the screen fabric and the spline material therefor.

A further object of my invention is the provision, in an apparatus of the aforementioned character, of means for automatically translating the frame through the apparatus which does not mar the frame or injure the fabric and which permits the apparatus to be controlled by one Worker.

An additional object of my invention is the provision of an apparatus of the aforementioned character which is capable of handling a wide variety of door sizes and fabric widths so that any conventional screen door size can be automatically assembled thereupon.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specifications and the accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view taken from the broken line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of a portion of the applicator means in the process of applying the screen fabric to an associated frame adapted to receive the same.

Referring to the drawings and, particularly, to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, I show an apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention and adapted to assemble screen fabric 12 in operative relationship with a screen door frame 16. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the screen door frames utilized may be of different dimensions but are uniformly characterized by the fact that the frame 16 incorporates grooves 18 in the stiles 2t) and rails 22 thereof, said grooves being adapted, in a manner to be described in greater detail below, to receive the opposite edges of the screen fabric 12 and associated splines 26 formed from flexible, resilient, synthetic material such as polyvinyl chloride or the like.

The stiles 2t) and rails 22 of the frame 16 may be formed either by extrusion processes or by roll forming and are usually fabricated from aluminum. The screen fabric may be, as indicated previously hereinabove, woven from wire, glass filaments, or synthetic plastic strands.

The apparatus 10 includes an elongated bed 30 which is supported at an anguiar orientation by means of vertical frame members 32. The angular orientation of the bed 3%) facilitates the handling of the frame 16 of a screen door on the bed 39 and permits the operator running the apparatus 10 to have easier access to the frame 16.

Secured to the bed 36, as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, are first and second sets of door frame supporting rollers 36 and 38, respectively. Rotatable guide wheels 42 are juxtaposed to the first set 36 of rollers and are adapted to engage one stile 20 of the door frame 16. Adjustable guide wheels 44 are located adjacent the second set 38 of supporting rollers and are mounted for adjustment in carriers 46 movable on supporting bars 8 so that the guide Wheels 44 can be adjusted to accommodate frames 16 of different widths.

The means for translating or moving the frames 16 along the bed 30 includes an air cylinder 52 and a gear motor 54. The air cylinder 52 is connected to an appropriate source of compressed air and is pivotally mounted at 56 in underlying relationship with the bed 30. A piston rod 58 is extensible or retractable from the air cylinder 52 and is pivotally connected to a lever 62 disposed beneath the bed 36 and pivotally secured at one extremity thereof to a supporting arm 64 depending below said bed. The opposite extremity of the lever 62 incorporates a securement pin 66 which is secured to an actuating cable 68 arranged in a closed loop upon sheaves '72. The actuating cable 68 incorporates a tension spring 74- to accommodate the deflection of said cable during its movement by the lever 62 and to maintain the requisite tension in said cable.

Operatively connected to the cable 68 is a driving member or element '78 which is supported for movement upon a guide bar 82 through the incorporation therein of a guide block 8 3. The guide block 84 is secured to the cable 68 by an arm 85 depending therefrom, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

Therefore, as the piston rod 58 is drawn into the air cylinder 52. the lever 62 is rotated in a counterclockwise are to cause the cable 68 to move in a counterclockwise loop and thus move the driving member 78 in a righthand direction, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, to engage the adjacent rail 22 of the frame 16 and cause the initial movement of said frame over the first and second sets of supporting rollers 36 and 38 respectively.

The gear motor 54 has a link chain 92 associated therewith and arranged in a closed loop upon sprockets 94. The link chain 92 is adapted to drive the sprockets 96 of drive rollers 98 mounted above and below the bed 30 in positions in which the perimeters thereof can engage the rails 20 of the frame 16. The rollers 98 may be fabricated from or covered with soft rubber to increase the coeflicient of friction thereof and prevent the marring of the components of the door frame 16.

Therefore, once a frame 16 is disposed in operative relationship with the bed 30, it is translated or moved therethrough at a predetermined rate of speed and the productive rate of the operator running the apparatus can be established to conform to his productive capacity and to the necessary production rate desired.

Vertical support means 102 extends above the bed 30, as best shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, and includes side braces 104 having pillow bearing blocks 106 supported upon their upper extremities for the reception of the opposite extremities of a supporting shaft 108 adapted to receive a reel of screen fabric 12. The shaft 108 is as long as the bed 30 is wide and thus can accommodate reels of screen fabric 12 of a width conforming to the width of the door frame passing through the apparatus 10.

Guide shafts 109 are mounted below the reel of screen fabric 12 and the screen fabric is entrained thereupon, ultimately issuing therefrom between the two guide disks 112 which are mounted upon a shaft 114. The intermediate guide disk 112 shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings is adjustable on the shaft 114 to permit different widths of screen fabric 12 to be accommodated. Therefore, the screen fabric is automatically guided downwardly into overlying relationship with the frame 16 and, more particularly, with the grooves 18 provided in the rails and stiles 22 and 20, respectively, of said frame.

Mounted in underlying relationship with the bed 30 at the entry end of said bed are reels of spline material 26, said spline material being adapted tobe fed from the reels through guide tubes 116, as best shown in FIG. 2

of the drawings, disposed in underlying relationship with the bed 30.

- Mounted at one side of the bed 30 is a reel 118 of spline material which is adapted to supply spline material for the grooves 18 in the rails 22 of the frame 16. This spline material is installed in the grooves 18 of the rails 22 manually and the operator need merely pull a length of spline material 26 from the reel 118 as the respective groove 18 in the rails 22 is located in alignment with the reel 118.

- Mounted above the bed 30 for pivotal movement upon a shaft 119 is applicator means 120 constituted by elongated arms 122 secured to said shaft. Adjustably mounted in corresponding bores in the arms 122 are support rods 124, 126 and 128 which, as best shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, respectively, mount a pre-crimping die 130, a crimping die 132 and a spline set 134. The crimping die 130 is adapted to pre-crimp the edge of wire screen fabric over the associated groove 18 while the crimping die 132 performs the final crimping operation and the spline set 134 urges the spline material 26 into overlying relationship with the previously crimped edge of the screen fabric 12. However, when screen fabric manufactured from glass filaments is utilized, it is not necessary to provide the pre-crimping die 130.

An elongated arm 138 is keyed to the shaft 119 and has its lower extremity pivotally connected to the piston rod 142 of an air cylinder 144. A tension spring 146 is connected to thelower extremity of the elongated arm 138 to urge the arms 122 of the applicator 120 downwardly into engagement with the associated edges of the screen fabric 12 and the spline material 26 with suffcient force to accomplish the crimping of the screen fabric and the proper insertion of the spline material 26 into operative engagement therewith.

Operatively associated with the air cylinder 144 is a pressure responsive electrical control switch indicated schematically at 152 in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Therefore, if the dies and 132 and the set 134 should become misaligned with the groove 18 and the arms 132 mounting the same he forced upwardly, the change in the air pressure within the air cylinder 144 will be sensed by the pressure responsive switch 152 to automatically terminate the operation of the gear motor 54 and the air cylinder 52 and thus terminate the movement of the door frame 16 through the apparatus 10.

I thus provide by my invention an apparatus adapted to automatically assemble, tension and install screen fabric and spline material therefor in operative relationship with an associated door frame. The apparatus of my invention permits this task to be accomplished by one operator and greatly augments the productive capacity of said operator.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for securing the screen fabric in operative relationship with a frame whose stiles and rails incorporate grooves adapted to receive the edges of said screen fabric and a retaining spline therefor, the combination of an elongated bed adapted to receive a frame; guide means on said bed engageable with said frame to guide it along said bed; translating means on said bed adapted to move said frame along said bed; a source of screen fabric associated with said bed and adapted to feed said fabric into overlying relationship with said frame; a source of spline material on said bed and adapted to feed spline material to said frame; means on said bed for crimping the opposite edges of said screen fabric overlying the grooves in the stiles of said frame; spline sets associated with said crimping means for urging a spline into overlying relationship with the crimped edges of said fabric and said grooves, said crimping means and said sets being mounted on common pivotally movable support means having spring means attached thereto adapted to bias said support means downwardly toward said bed; and automatic control means operatively connected to said support means and responsive to excessive displacement of said support means to de-energize said apparatus automatically.

2. In an apparatus adapted to apply screen fabric and retaining splines therefor into operative relationship with the receptor grooves of a door frame, the combination of: an elongated bed adapted to support said frame; a drive motor on said bed; means connected to said drive motor for translating said frame along said bed; adjustable guide means on said bed engageable with said frame; a source of screen fabric for feeding screen fabric into overlying relationship with the grooves in said frame; a source of spline material; applicator means adapted to urge the edges of said fabric and said spline material into operative relationship with each other and said grooves, said applicator means including a common pivo-tally movable support having crimping and spline setting dies thereupon engageable, respectively, with the opposite edges of said screen fabric and said spline material to automatically crimp said edgesand force said spline material into operative relationship with said crimped edges and said grooves; and control means operatively connected to said applicator means whereby excessive displacement of said applicator means with respect to said frame will automatically de-energize said drive motor and said apparatus.

3. In an apparatus adapted to apply screen fabric and retaining splines therefor into operative relationship with the receptor grooves of a door frame, the combination of: an elongated bed adapted to support said frame; a.

5 drive motor on said bed; means connected to said drive motor for translating said frame along said bed; a source of screen fabric for feeding screen fabric into overlying relationship with the grooves in said frame; a source of spline material; applicator means adapted to urge the edges of said fabric and said spline material into operative relationship with each other and said grooves, said applicator means including a common pivotally movable support having crimping and spline setting dies thereupon engageable, respectively, With the opposite edges of said screen fabric and said spline material to automatically crimp said edges and force said spline material into operative relationship With said crimped edges and said grooves; and control means operatively connected to said applicator means whereby excessive displacement of said applicator means With respect to said frame will automatically tie-energize said drive motor and said apparatus.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,672,835 3/1954 Paul 140-109 2,695,445 11/1954 Johnson et al. 140109 3,077,907 2/ 1963 Gottlieb l40109 10 3,110,427 11/1964 Doerer et al 140-3 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

C. H. JUST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE SCREEN FABRIC IN OPERATIVELY RELATIONSHIP WITH A FRAME WHOSE STILES AND RAILS INCORPORATE GROOVES ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE EDGES OF SAID SCREEN FABRIC AND A RETAINING SPLINE THEREFOR, THE COMBINATION OF: AN ELONGATED BED ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A FRAME; GUIDE MEANS ON SAID BED ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FRAME TO GUIDE IT ALONG SAID BED; TRANSLATING MEANS ON SAID BED ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID FRAME ALONG SAID BED; A SOURCE OF SCREEN FABRIC ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BED AND ADAPTED TO FEED SAID FABRIC INTO OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FRAME; A SOURCE OF SPLINE MATERIAL ON SAID BED AND ADAPTED TO FEED SPLINE MATERIAL TO SAID FRAME; MEANS ON SAID BED FOR CRIMPING THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID SCREEN FABRIC OVERLYING THE GROOVES IN THE STILES OF SAID FRAME; SPLINE SETS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CRIMPING MEANS FOR URGING A SPLINE INTO OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CRIMPED EDGES OF SAID FABRIC AND SAID GROOVES, SAID CRIMPING MEANS AND SAID SETS BEING MOUNTED ON COMMON PIVOTALLY MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS HAVING SPRING MEANS ATTACHED THERETO ADAPTED TO BIAS SAID SUPPORT MEANS DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID BED; AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO EXCESSIVE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS TO DE-ENERGIZE SAID APPARATUS AUTOMATICALLY. 